1. Chap 6 : Avoiding Ambiguity &
Vagueness
Reference : ebook “English For Writing Research Papers”
18 Subtitle
24 presentation slide
By Haida

2. MIND MAP

3.  Means :
Ambiguity
 Ambiguous : when more than one plausible
interpretation (Ambi = two)
 Comes with two flavors

4. Which / who vs.
that
 In scientific English, which and that have different uses
 Examples ‘which’ and ‘that’ :
 S1. *Correct the sentences below which contain grammatical mistakes.
 S1 mean (i) that all the sentences contain grammatical mistakes, or (ii) that you should
correct only those sentences that contain mistakes?
 If all the sentences contain mistakes, S1 should be rewritten as S2. If only some
sentences contain mistakes, S1 should be rewritten as S3.
 S2. Correct the sentences below, which contain grammatical mistakes.
 S3. Correct the sentences below that contain grammatical mistakes.
 Rule :
 1) if simply add extra information you are simply adding extra information (S2)
then use which (things) or who (people) preceded by a comma (,).
 2) If you are defining the previous noun then use that. Given that not many people are
aware of this distinction, it is probably better to rewrite the sentences more explicitly.
Thus S2 and S3, become S4 and S5, respectively.
 S4. Correct the sentences below, all of which contain grammatical mistakes.
 S5. Correct only those sentences below that contain grammatical mistakes.

5. Cont. Which / who
vs. that
 Example ‘which’ and ‘who’ which should help to clarify the difference between
adding extra information (S6) and making a definition (S7).
 S6. My sister, who lives in Paris, is a researcher.
 S7. My sister that lives in Paris is a researcher.
 S6 contained between the two commas is not essential. It’s tell the reader that ‘I
have only one sister and she is a researcher ‘- the fact that she lives in Paris is just
additional information
 S7 I am giving very different information. I am telling you that I have more than
one sister, and that the sister that lives in Paris is a researcher. Perhaps my other
sister is a doctor and I am using Paris to distinguish between my two
sisters.
 Author not using ‘which’ or ‘that’ S8 would not be considered correct English by
most language experts.
 S8. * This is followed by a characterization of the states poorly represented at
atmospheric pressure.
 S8 disambiguated
 S9. This is followed by a characterization of the states, which are poorly
represented at atmospheric pressure. (non-defining)
 S10. This is followed by a characterization of all those states that are poorly
represented at atmospheric pressure. (defining)

6. which, that and
who
 should only refer to the noun that immediately precedes them.
 S1. *A group of patients was compiled using this procedure, as proposed by
Smith & Jones [2010], who had died under surgery.
 S1 gives impression that Smith & Jones died under surgery! This ambiguity arises
because the subject (patients) has been separated from its verb (had died) by a
subordinate clause (as proposed …). The solution is to keep the subject and verb
as close as possible to each other.
 S2. A group of patients who had died under surgery was compiled using this
procedure, as proposed by Smith and Jones [2010].
 S3. Each scheduling service is characterized by a mandatory set of QoS
parameters, as reported in Table 1, which describes the guarantees of the
applications. (similar examples but less dramatic and less open to ambiguity)
 S4. Each scheduling service is characterized by a mandatory set of QoS
parameters, as reported in Table 1. This set describes the guarantees of the
applications. (more clearly)

7. -ing form vs. that
 Author sometime use -ing form in what is effectively a relative clause
that begins with that, which or who
 S1. Those students wishing to participate in the call for papers
should contact …
 S2. The professor giving the keynote speech at the conference is
from Togo.
 S1 could be rewritten as students that / who wish, and S2 the professor
that / who is giving. However, there is no possible ambiguity because the
-ing form comes immediately after the noun it refers to.
 S3. * Professor Rossi teaches the students having a good level of
English. (S3 it is not clear who has the good level of English: the
students or Prof. Rossi.)
 S4. Professor Rossi teaches the students that have a good level of
English. (students that have good English)
 S5. Professor Rossi teaches the students since he has a good level of
English. (change the structure of the sentence and use since,
because or something similar.)

8. - ing form vs.
Subject + verb
 Clear unambiguous writing, verbs should be immediately preceded by
their subject
 S1. * If you take your young daughter in the car, don’t let her put her
head out of the window while driving. (initially seems that driving refers
to the young daughter coz the person located in the phrase nearest to
the word driving)
 S2. * After consuming twenty bottles of wine, the conference chair
presented the awards to the fifty best PhD students. (seems like
conference chairperson consumed 20 bottles of wine, where as
presumably it was the students who did the drinking.)
 Sentences should be rewritten:
 S3. If you take your young daughter in the car, don’t let her put her head
out of the window while you are driving.
 S4. After the fifty best PhD students had consumed twenty bottles of
wine, the conference chair presented them with the awards.
 -ing form has been replaced with an active form of the verb (are driving, had
consumed) preceded by the subject (you, students). If use an active form
you will be forced to use a subject and this will make your writing clearer.

9. Cont. - ing form vs.
subject + verb
* S5. * We cannot understand how psocoptera survive by reading
books alone. Instead we need to…
(is an initial ambiguity as the order of words makes it seems that psocoptera
read books!)
 rephrase the sentence by putting the -ing form at the beginning, the
true meaning is a little clearer
 S6. By reading books alone, we cannot understand how psocoptera
survive. Instead we need to …
 clearest way is to avoid the -ing form completely and replace it with a
subject + verb construction
 S7. If we only read books, we cannot understand how psocoptera
survive. Instead we need to …
 beginning a sentence with the -ing form can be dangerous, because
the reader doesn’t know who or what is carrying out the activity
introduced by the –ing form.

10. Cont. - ing form vs.
subject + verb
S8. *By sitting and watching too much television, our muscles
become weaker.
 initially seems that the muscles are watching television, though
this is clearly absurd. The solution is to put a subject (we) in
front of the verb, as in S9.
 S9. When we sit and watch too much television, our muscles
become weaker.

11. - ing form with
by and thus
 S1. * This will improve performance keeping clients satisfied.
 S1 mean: (a) the way to improve performance is if clients are kept
satisfied? (b) as a consequence of improving performance clients will be
satisfied?
 show the true meaning if, before the –ing form, we insert thus or by
 S2. This will improve performance thus keeping clients satisfied.
 S3. This will improve performance by keeping clients satisfied.
 S2 means that if clients are satisfied, performance will improve – thus
means as a consequence. S3 client satisfaction depends on performance –
by indicates how something is done.
 simply to break up the sentence or use and
S4. This will improve performance and clients will (thus) be satisfied.
 It can be disambiguated as in S6 and S7, both of which have the same
meaning.
 S6. … raised prices. This consequently / subsequently caused inflation.
 S7. … raised prices and so / thus caused inflation.

12.  It is best to replace the –ing form with and when you are simply
giving additional information. Thus S9 is clearer than S8.
S8. * This section focuses on the reasons for selecting these
parameters, trying to explain the background to these choices.
S9. This document focuses on the reasons for selecting these
parameters, and tries to explain the background to these
choices.
the difference between these three sentences
S10. To burn CDs you just need some software. (means If you want to /
If your aim is to)
 S11. Burning CDs now takes only a few seconds. (refers to the activity
of burning CDs)
 S12. By burning CDs we deprive artists of royalties. (means If we burn
CDs we will deprive artists of royalties.)
Cont. - ing form with
by and thus

13. a, one and the
 in scientific English, mistakes with article do not usually have
serious consequences. For example:
 S1. * The ambiguity is one characteristic of English
language. (very poor English, but the meaning is clear)
 S2. Ambiguity is a characteristic of the English language.
(better version)
 three mistakes in S1
1) General (no article) vs. specific (article must be used)
2) A / An (indefinite article) vs. one (number)
 one characteristic this sentence the main topic is ambiguity and not
the number of characteristics.
 Languages – the English we refer to the people and not the
language.

14. Cont. a, one
and the
 S3. A researcher spends many days in the lab.
(talking about a generic researcher, who we have not mentioned before.)
 S4. Researchers spend many days in the lab.
(same meaning as S3, it means ‘all researchers’, so the non use of the is
correct)
 S5. The researcher spends many days in the lab.
(indicates that the researcher has already been mentioned before and that the
reader knows which researcher we are talking about)
 S6. The researchers spend many days in the lab.
(talking about more than one researcher)
 S7. We made one experiment before the equipment exploded.
(imply that we had planned a series of experiments (at least two), but that these
were interrupted by the explosion)
 S8. We made an experiment before the equipment exploded.
(no such series is implied)

15. Uncountable
nouns
Spinach leaves can be clearly separated and counted, but when cooked they become
one big mass. You cannot clearly and easily identify cooked spinach as separate
parts - so you cannot say these spinaches taste very good, but only this spinach
tastes very good. Similarly, you can count cars but not traffic, steps forward but not
progress, comments but not feedback.

16. Cont. Uncountable
nouns
 when an uncountable noun is referred to in a later phrase with
a plural pronoun (they, these, those) or adjective (many, few) it
can create confusion for readers.
S1. Such feedbacks are vital when analyzing the queries. At
subsequent stages in the procedure, for instance after steps 3
and 4, they are also useful for assessing …
 S2. Such feedbacks are vital when analyzing the queries. At
subsequent stages in the procedure, for instance after steps 3
and 4, many of them are also useful for assessing …
 feedback is uncountable, so it has no plural form.
Not Correct
English

17. Cont. Uncountable
nouns
Revised versions of S1 & S2
S3. Such feedback is vital when … At subsequent stages it is also
useful for …
S4. Such feedback is vital when … At subsequent stages much of
it is also useful for …
the best solution is to repeat the noun
S5. Such feedback is vital when … At subsequent stages (a lot of)
this feedback is also …

18. Cont. Uncountable
nouns
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-CTP0JpnWc

19. Pronouns
Some sentences that would not be ambiguous in your language
may become ambiguous in English. For example:
S1. I put the book in the car and then I left it there all day.
S2. I put the book in the car and then I left the book there all day.
(not very elegant, but it is much clearer for your reader and is not considered
bad style in technical English.)
they refer to all three locations, to Canada and the Netherlands, or
just to the Canaries?
S3. We could go to Australia, Canada or the Netherlands, but
they are a long way from here.

20. Cont. Pronouns
To avoid misunderstandings, be more specific:
 S1. Australia, Canada or the Netherlands, all of which are a long
way from here.
S5. Australia, Canada or the Netherlands. But Canada and the
Netherlands are a long way from here.
S6 Australia, Canada or the Netherlands. But the Netherlands are a
long way from here.
S7. * No user names or passwords are required, unless the system
administrator decides that one is necessary. … decides that this is
necessary. … decides that these are necessary. (what do one / this /
these refer to? (a) user names (b) passwords?)
 Interpretations (a) and (b) are much clearer rewritten as in S8 and S9
S8. … unless the system administrator decides that a user name is
necessary.
S9… unless the system administrator decides that a password is
necessary.

21. Referring backwards: the
former, the latter
S1. Africa has a greater population than the combined
populations of Russia, Canada and the United States. In the
latter the population is only …
S1 does the latter refer just to the US alone, or to the US and
Canada? The simplest and clearest solution is to replace the
latter with the exact word or words it refers to. This gives:
S2 Africa has a greater population than the combined
populations of Russia, Canada and the United States. In the
USA the population is only …
S3. Africa has a greater population than the combined
populations of Russia, Canada and the United States. In
Canada and the USA the population is only …

22. Use of respectively to
disambiguate
 Respectively is a very useful word for clarifying how items are related to each
other.
In S1, a basic knowledge of geography makes it clear that London is associated
with England, and Paris with France.
S1. London and Paris are the capitals of England and France.
S2. … where X is the function for Y, and f1 and f2 are the constant
functions for P and Q. (such connections are not always so obvious)
 Are f1 and f2 constant functions for both P and Q? If so:
S3 … and f1 and f2 are the constant functions for both P and Q.
 Or is f1 for P and f2 for Q? If so, use respectively:
S7. … and f1 and f2 are the constant functions for P and Q, respectively.
Most style books recommend placing respectively at the end of
the phrase. It is best to put a comma (,) before respectively.

23. Latin words - i.e. versus
e.g.
I.e. E.g.
means 'that is' (to say). means ‘for example’
is an abbreviation for Latinid
est, 'that is'.
stands for exempli gratia, "
"I like citrus fruits, i.e. the
juicy, edible fruits with
leathery, aromatic rinds of
any of numerous tropical,
usually thorny shrubs or trees
of the genus Citrus,"
I like citrus fruits, e.g.,
oranges and lemons"
i.e. specifies and explains. indicates an example
He had one obvious
flaw, i.e. his laziness.
She loves to read non-fiction,
e.g., reference books
and how-to books.
Ref. : http://dictionary.reference.com/help/faq/language/d67.html

24. Monologophobia
Definition: An overwhelming fear of using a word more than once in a single
sentence, or even in a single paragraph.
Etiology: As a child the patient was probably compelled to stand in a corner
because he wrote, in a composition: "Grandma gave me a piece of apple pie,
then I had another piece of apple pie and then I had another piece of apple pie."
Symptoms: The patient now writes: "The wife gave me a piece of apple pie, then
I obtained another slice of the pastry containing the round fleshy fruit, and then
I secured another portion of the all-American dessert." As is evident,
monologophobia is usually accompanied by synonymomania.
Treatment: Gently suggest to the patient that repetition is not necessarily fatal,
but that if it is an intrusive manifestation, the corrective is not a conspicuous
synonym but rather an inconspicuous pronoun or noun: "another," "a second,"
"a third one."
( Miss Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1971)